Wisdom of Reasonableness
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December 22, 2013 |
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 "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy" (James 3:17).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
Anyone who casts off sins and evil and pursues peace will bear the fruits of gentleness and reasonableness, that is, the fruit of gentleness and having consideration for others with an openness to reason. Then, what does the wisdom of reasonableness mean?
Reasonableness is to show the aroma of a good and beautiful heart with good fruits in words and deeds. If our heart is filled with goodness and truth, the words that come from us will be good words and all our deeds will be beautiful. But being good is not just being soft and gentle all the time. There are also the aspects of strength and boldness. When both choices are OK within the truth, one with reasonableness will choose what is more pleasing in the sight of God, discerning through the Holy Spirit. The characteristics of reasonableness can be categorized into three kinds.
1. By discerning the truth in any situation reasonableness can give peace and grants peace to others
Since the heart of spiritual goodness is filled with the truth, it has the authority of the light to drive away darkness. When a person who possesses reasonableness is conducting counseling, he can discern the essence of the problem and refresh the hearts of the others. If one has selfish motives, his eyes will be blocked by his own benefit or ill-feelings. But if we don't have any selfish motives, we can see the way to solve the problem. Having selfish motives is to be self-serving. Selfish motives will seek 'my possession', 'my family', 'my fame and power', 'my pride', and 'my comfort'.
In Luke chapter 12, there was a person who came to Jesus and asked Him to equally divide the inheritance of his parents with his brother. In this situation, Jesus did not teach him anything about dividing the inheritance and how much of a portion each brother should receive. But rather, He tried to teach something even more important by saying in Luke 12:15, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."
Unless this person casts away his greed, he would constantly have conflicts with his brother. So, Jesus gave him the fundamental solution to the problem. He gave him the spiritual answer by teaching him the true way of blessing. If you look into your heart with reasonableness, you will be able to see the essence of any problem.
2. Reasonableness is being self-content, stilled and calm in the understanding the God's will, even in difficult situations
If we have reasonableness of heart we have no agitation whatsoever, not only in good times but also in difficult situations as well (Philippians 4:11-12). We won't get discouraged or complain saying, "This is hard and that is difficult." We will be able to do anything with thanks and joy. It's because the grace of God we have in us is much greater than the hardship we are facing at the moment.
When things do not go as they want or when they are in difficult situations there are people who pour out complaints and resentment. They may also blame others for the things that are not going well. Those who have cultivated reasonableness, however, will not lose the comfort in their hearts even in difficult situations. They are neither surprised nor saddened but just quietly discern the will of God in a given situation, and because they are sure of the love of God, they can be at peace and choose the best course of action in every situation.
If we have self-contentment in handling our situations with reasonableness and follow goodness, the Holy Spirit will always guide us. This way, we can discern whether to go now is the will of God, or whether we have to stop for a moment and continue again later.
3. Reasonableness not only obeys the Word of God but does more than expected
For example, suppose parents ask their son to do something as they are going out. "Take care of your little brother and do your homework, too!" Once he finished his homework he could have just played. However, when the parents got back home, they found that their son had not only done his homework, but he also did some house cleaning. He tried to understand the heart of his parents and did more than what he was supposed to do. How lovely he is, and how proud of him his parents are!
Likewise, those who have reasonableness will obey the Word of God as it is because they love God. Furthermore, they can discern what course of action is better by the Holy Spirit. When God commands one thing of them, by their understanding of the heart of God they do two or three, or even more than that. When God the Father looks at such children, He will be so pleased saying, "They are proper in My sight."
In our Christian life, we sometimes have to choose between two things. If one is truth and the other is untruth, we obviously have to choose the truth. If both of the things are acceptable in the truth, most people would want to choose what benefits them more. But if we have complete reasonableness, then we can choose what can glorify God more and be more pleasing to Him.
In this way, if we have deeper levels of reasonableness, we will not only obey the Words of God but do more than what we are supposed to do.
4. Apostle Paul acted in the wisdom of reasonableness
We can understand the extent to which Paul had cultivated reasonableness considering his actions and professions. He kept the Law of Moses thoroughly even before he accepted the Lord. After he met Him, he dedicated everything he had for the sake of the gospel. He did not enjoy or take advantage of what he could have enjoyed.
For example, he said in 1 Corinthians 8:13, "Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble." This was also an answer to a question, "Can we eat food sacrificed to idols?" Of course, if you know that something had been sacrificed to idols, it is better that you don't eat it. But you cannot trace the distribution of the meat all the way every time. So, it does not constitute a sin just because you eat something that had once been sacrificed to idols (Romans 14). It is just food now; eating it does not mean you are participating in idolatry.
But for those who have weak faith, they might feel uncomfortable eating something that had been sacrificed to idols. Also, when they see another person who has faith eat such things, they might think he is participating in idolatry. Or, they might also eat them thinking it is OK just because a person who has faith eats it, too. It is OK if they eat it thinking it is just food, but it is a problem if they have pangs of conscience while they are eating it, thinking it had been sacrificed to idols. If you feel you are not supposed to be doing something and yet still do it, it gives grounds for Satan to bring accusations against you (Romans 14:23).
In the case of Paul, having faith he could eat things sacrificed to idols, but he chose not to eat such things due to the fear that somebody might stumble seeing him eat them. He chose rather not eating meat forever rather than possibly causing another soul to stumble because of his actions. God was pleased with Paul doing this, and gave him greater power than the power any other apostle received. God gave him clear inspiration and wisdom, too, so that he could give the answers to the believers to questions regarding marriage, divorce, problems in family and workplace, gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Communion.
Only when we receive the wisdom of reasonableness can we choose what is pleasing to God, discern His will correctly, plant faith in the hearts of people with good and beautiful words, and solve their problems in truth.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will receive the wisdom of reasonableness in fullness of goodness and truth, and please God with beautiful deeds together with a mouth that sends out 'fresh water'.
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